DALTON, a parish, in the county of Dumfries; containing
658 inhabitants, of whom 54 are in the village,
6 miles (W. by S.) from Ecclesfechan. The name is
derived from the Anglo-Saxon term Dal-ton, or Dal-duii,
signifying " the fort in the dale", and appears to have
been applied on account of a fort in the immediate neighbourhood
of the village of Dalton, at which village
baronial courts were held in ancient times. The parish
is seven miles long from north to south, and three broad,
and contains 6/53 acres. It is bounded on the northeast
by the river Annan, in which great quantities of
salmon, grilse, sea-trout, and whiting are taken, though
they are far from being so numerous as formerly, in
consequence of stake-nets having been placed at the
mouth of the river, in the Solway Firth. There is much
variety of hill and dale in the parish, and extensive
views are obtained from the more elevated situations:
on the south are seen the Solway Firth, studded with
vessels, and, in the distance, the Cumberland hills. The
soil to a great extent is alluvial, consisting chiefly of
gravel and sand, spread over the lowlands, and formed
into ranges and groups of little hills. In the higher
lands the soil is mainly composed of the svaste and
debris of the transition rocks, but is tolerably fertile,
and the transported soil on the banks of the river is
exceedingly productive. The whole is cultivated, with
the exception of 600 acres which are waste or pasture,
and 517 acres in wood; all kinds of crops are raised,
and the improved system of husbandry is adopted,
though varied by different farmers in the rotation of
crops. The cattle are of the black GaUoway breed, and
the few sheep that are reared consist of Cheviots and
Leicesters. The produce of the soil is usually sent to
Annan, seven miles distant, where is a weekly market.
The annual value of real property in the parish is £4031.
The chief mansion is that of Dormont, an elegant and
commodious structure built in the year 1823, situated on
the bank of the Annan, and ornamented with beautiful
grounds and plantations. Another mansion, that of
Rammerscales, occupies a romantic site upon a hilly
range, surrounded with overhanging wood, and commanding
the whole vale of Annan. A third house, called
Kirkwood, and which, like both of the preceding, is of
modern erection, is also entitled to notice. The principal
village is Dalton, the communication of which with the
nearest market-towns is convenient, not only by the
parish roads, but by the great turnpike-road from Carlisle
to Portpatrick, which passes through the south end of
the parish.
Ecclesiastically the parish is within the bounds of the
presbytery of Lochmaben and synod of Dumfries; patron,
David Sanderaan, Esq. The stipend of the minister
is £171. 12., and there is a manse, with a glebe of ten
acres, valued at £10 per annum. Dalton church, situated
in the village, was built in 1704, and will accommodate
300 persons. In the churchyard is a handsome
sepulchral monument to the Rosses of Halkhead, in the
county of Renfrew, who were resident in the parish for
a considerable period. There is a parochial school, at
which French, the classics, and practical mathematics,
with the usual branches of education, are taught; the
master has a salary of £34, with a house and garden,
and about £20 fees. The only relics of antiquity are,
the ruins of a castle at Holmains, formerly the residence
of the Carruthers; and a camp of circular form on the
Almagill hills, now named Range Castle. The latter
stands upon a transition rock of greywacke, and is a
beautiful specimen of this class of military works; its
diameter is 102 yards, and the fosse which encompasses
it is nine feet deep, and twenty-seven broad. The late
Sir Andrew Halliday, physician to the Duke of Clarence,
afterwards William IV., was a native of the parish.